Those of us who stand up in front of people, or sit down in front of a computer, or gather in a circle to teach the Bible to others face some unique spiritual dangers—dangers that have the power to rob us of rich and real relationship to Christ even as we go about teaching about Christ. In his book Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry, Paul Tripp helps those in ministry face up to hidden motives and harmful habits.
In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, I asked Tripp to talk about five things of particular importance for those of us who teach the Bible:
- Motivation for ministry
- The goal of ministry
- The damaging fruit of self-glory
- The battle between preparation and personal devotion
- The danger of disconnect between ministry persona and personal life.
Resources by Paul Tripp
- New Morning Mercies
- Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do
- Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry
Free eBook by Tim Keller: ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’
Imagine a life where you don’t feel inadequate, easily offended, desperate to prove yourself, or endlessly preoccupied with how you look to others. Imagine relishing, not resenting, the success of others. Living this way isn’t far-fetched. It’s actually guaranteed to believers, as they learn to receive God’s approval, rather than striving to earn it.
In Tim Keller’s short ebook, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path To True Christian Joy, he explains how to overcome the toxic tendencies of our age一not by diluting biblical truth or denying our differences一but by rooting our identity in Christ.
TGC is offering this Keller resource for free, so you can discover the “blessed rest” that only self-forgetfulness brings.
